Fairy Tales for the Disillusioned: Enchanted Stories from the French Decadent Tradition

A collection that subverts the conventions of the traditional fairy tale—to entertain and startle even the most disenchanted reader: “Thoroughly engaging.” —Gramarye Journal

The wolf is tricked by Red Riding Hood into strangling her grandmother and is subsequently arrested. Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella do not live happily ever after. And the fairies are saucy, angry, and capricious. Fairy Tales for the Disillusioned collects thirty-six tales, many newly translated, by writers associated with the decadent literary movement, which flourished in France in the late nineteenth century. Written by such luminaries as Charles Baudelaire, Anatole France, and Guillaume Apollinaire, these enchanting yet troubling stories reflect the concerns and fascinations of a time of great political, social, and cultural change. Recasting well-known favorites from classic French fairy tales, as well as Arthurian legends and English and German tales, the updated interpretations in this collection allow for more perverse settings and disillusioned perspectives—a trademark style and ethos of the decadent tradition.

In these stories, characters puncture the optimism of the naive, talismans don’t work, and the most deserving don’t always get the best rewards. The fairies are commonly victims of modern cynicism and technological advancement, but just as often are dangerous creatures corrupted by contemporary society. The collection underlines such decadent themes as the decline of civilization, the degeneration of magic and the unreal, gender confusion, and the incursion of the industrial. The volume editors also provide an informative introduction, biographical notes for each author, and explanatory notes throughout.

“Sometimes sardonic, sometimes brutal, often blackly funny.” —Sydney Morning Herald

“A wide variety of cynical characters, forgotten forests, and perverse plots . . . The work will delight and possibly disenchant both fairy-tale enthusiasts and scholars.” —Marvels & Tales

“A perfect book, perhaps, for the moment.” —The Washington Post

© 2016 Princeton University Press (Ebook): 9781400883455

Release date

Ebook: 17 October 2016